Apple & Cheese Beer Soup with Soft Pretzel Bites
As the weather gradually turns colder, we thought it would be the perfect time for a hearty and warming soup recipe! This recipe has so many different flavors and features lots of seasonal items we have at the Co-op right now. For the beer, we chose the Left Hand Pumpkin Latte Nitro Ale, but any pumpkin beer would work well with this. We also decided to feature a brand new product, the Eastern Standard frozen pretzel bites, to pair with this recipe! These pretzel bites are amazing and come with 3 different salts for you to try. They are perfect for eating on the side or dipping straight into the soup.
Ingredients
Butter
3 tablespoons
Olive oil
2 tablespoons
Yellow onion, diced
1
Fresh thyme, minced
2 tablespoons
Fresh sage, minced
1 tablespoon
All-purpose flour
1/4 cup
2% milk
2 cups
Vegetable broth
2 cups
Left Hand Pumpkin Latte Nitro Ale
12 ounces
Apple cider
1/2 cup
Apple, chopped
1
Cheddar cheese
3 cups
Creamy brie cheese
4 ounces
Eastern Standard pretzel bites
1 package
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories per serving: 740 (including pretzels)
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- In a large pot over medium heat, melt butter and olive oil. Add the onion, thyme, and sage, and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the flour and whisk constantly for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk and stir until smooth.
- Add the vegetable broth, pumpkin beer, apple cider, apple, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium, and cook uncovered for 10 minutes.
- Remove from stove.
- At this point, prepare the pretzel bites. Spray with cooking spray, then add the cheese salt and the pretzel salt. Bake in the oven for 6 minutes.
- Puree the soup with an immersion blender, or in batches using a regular blender or food processor.
- Return to the stove and set over low heat. Stir in the cheddar cheese and the brie and stir until melted. The brie may not melt completely - this is okay and will taste delicious when dipping the pretzel bites!
- Ladle into bowls and top with thyme and cheddar cheese to garnish, if desired. Serve with the pretzel bites.